Child's Play
by the-vampire-act
Summary: *Now written by soneone else! After an accident claiming three lives, Spencer Reid has to take care of Henry. He must overcome a deal with a huge custody battle and the fear that the man in charge of killing his friends will come back for Henry or himself
1. Time of Death

**Now that my all my regular multi-chap stories are done, I decided it was time to make my latest one. This was written on request from 'twilightfan95'. It's not exactly what she asked for, but I still hope you like it! This will also be slash. And be sure to find the link for my FB pg on my FF profile b/c I've been posting sneak peeks and what-nots!**

**Child's Play- Chapter 1**

**Time of Death**

_"Do you take her to be your lawfully wedded wife?" _

_With tears in his eyes, he nodded his head. The tears weren't of happiness, don't be mistaken, they were tears of sadness. He didn't want to be where he was now, but to be fair, neither did she. _

_"Yes, I do." _

_Smiling, although he too suspected that there was something a bit 'off' about the couple's decision to get married, the priest closed his Bible and motioned to the groom. "Now, by the powers invested in me by the state of Nevada, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." _

_So SSA Dr. Spencer Reid did the only thing he deemed sociably acceptable, and he kissed his bride. _

**About two months earlier…**

Spencer Reid hadn't been expecting it; in fact, no one had been. It had all happened so suddenly that he could barely grasp the reality of the situation, and that alone scared him. As he sat helplessly in the hospital waiting room, he fought back his tears and exhaustion. He was a mess, to put it lightly, and he hated it.

"Reid," a voice said from behind him. He turned around to face Derek Morgan, watching as he immediately sat down opposite of him. He took in the overall fatigued appearance of his younger friend; his eyes were rimmed with red rather than their normal purple shadows, his hands were shaking from anticipation, his hair muffled and tossed from the chaotic events, and his clothes were soaked. "What happened?" he asked gently. It's not what he wanted to say, and it normally wasn't his response to such situations. It was preferred, though, over 'what the hell had happened' in his strike and demanding tone, because he could tell that Reid was about to break down any second, and he didn't need to add to that.

"There…there was an accident," Reid replied softly, his voice quivering. Morgan, for the first time that night, noticed that Reid's entire body was shaking. Whether it was from being cold or being terrified he wasn't sure, but smart money said it was both. Morgan took his jacket off and placed it around Reid's petite frame. "Thank you," he whispered back.

"Don't mention it kid," he smiled. He leaned forward and kissed him, wrapping his arms around the less-than stable body sitting next to him. Reid nuzzled into the embrace, letting his tears soak parts of Morgan's shirt. Morgan still didn't know what had happened; all he remembered was waking up at 3 am and being called to the hospital. It still wasn't clear just how he had gotten there, either; he supposed he'd find out when they would mail him his speeding ticket.

"I-I know you want to know, but…but…." Morgan cut him off with a comforting 'shush', and he started stroking his hair again.

"What happened?" Hotch asked as he joined the group. His eyes immediately dropped to Reid and Morgan, his frown and concern both growing. What exactly _had happen? _

"I don't know, Hotch. I don't think he's ready to say, though, and I'm not pushing," Morgan warned.

"I'll get a doctor," Hotch nodded. Morgan mimicked the nod before turning his full attention back to Reid. They had to figure out what the hell was going on- and fast.

Suddenly, Reid stopped crying. Morgan glowered down at him, and he then realized that he had fallen to sleep. Morgan sighed; even in his sleep the boy's fragile body shook ever-so slightly. Holding him close, he rearranged the coat he had thrown on him earlier to use it as a blanket. Then, he continued petting his soaking wet hair.

A few minutes later, Hotch returned with the doctor in-charge of the case that they had apparently came for. Morgan assumed the doctor had filled Hotch in on the details due to his suddenly grim expression. Whatever had happened, Morgan was sure that it was something that would change everything. Sure enough, he was right.

"You got him to sleep," the woman smiled sadly. "Good, we couldn't get him to calm down."

"What's going on, Hotch?" Morgan pressed, his irritation and impatience seeping through.

The doctor bit her lip, turning her head from Morgan to Hotch. Finally, she sighed and shook her head. "All right," she reluctantly agreed. "Dr. Reid was admitted to the hospital with four other people- Agents Jennifer Jareau and Penelope Garcia, her husband William LaMontagne, and their baby boy, Henry. I understand the Agents Garcia and Reid are the godparents of Henry, so we are working under the assumption that they had gone out to the cabin together. When we were called, some of the neighbors said that they had complained about noises, and when they went to investigate, they found three dead bodies spewed over the icy lake, and when they checked out the cabin closest to the lake, they found a very thin man passed out with a crying baby close by." She paused, giving the two agents a chance to clear up any details that the hospital had missed.

"Garcia told me about that," Morgan sighed. "JJ and Will wanted to take Reid and Garcia out to a cabin they had visited once. They wanted to bond with Henry, I guess, and they had heard about the cabin grounds a while back." Morgan paused, swallowing the lump that had suddenly grown in his throat. "Garcia said that she was excited to go skating on the river…"

"That makes sense," the doctor sighed. "But there's still one mystery…."

"What's that?" Hotch asked.

Once again, the doctor bit her lip and nervously stared off to the floor. Then, she finally looked up and asked, "Was there any death threats posed on any of your agents' lives?"

"No, why? What…what happened?" Hotch asked.

"All three of them were shot, and we believed that whoever did it tried to fire at Reid and Henry, too. Fortunately, Reid was able to get Henry to safety, but we believe at one point he was forced in the icy water."

"How are they? Are they going to make it?" Morgan asked.

The doctor looked puzzled before letting a frown appear on her lips. "No one told you?" she asked quietly.

Hotch and Morgan's eyes went wide, both of them hoping they had misunderstood.

"William died on the spot, and we lost Penelope in the ambulance. JJ's just barely hanging on, and realistically, she'll die any minute now. It's a miracle she's survived as long as she did." The doctor shook her head in sadness before clearing her throat. "If you'd like to visit her, I could escort you to her room…?"

A male nurse that had been walking behind them stopped when he heard that. Frowning, he turned his head toward the doctor. "Are you talking about Jennifer Jareau?"

"Yes, why?" Both the doctor and the agents were alarmed now.

"I'm sorry, but Jennifer passed away five minutes ago," he sighed.

"Thank you, Derren," the doctor said solemnly. Darren just nodded and quickly walked away. The doctor then turned her head back to the group before her, unsure of what else should could do for them.

Hotch, sensing the doctor's own uneasiness, sighed before nodding his head. "Thank you, doctor, I'm sure that you did everything that you could."

"Let me know if there's anything that I can do for you- any of you," she said.

"What about Henry?" Morgan suddenly asked. "Is he okay?"

"Oh, yes," the doctor nodded. "Reid saved him from the bullets by running him inside the cabin. Right now he's resting from his check-out, but he was fine. We'll bring him out when he's awake, I promise."

"I don't doubt you," Morgan replied. "I'm sure we'll…we'll see him as soon as possible," Morgan choked out.

"Damn straight," the doctor nodded, her voice cracking toward the end. "You should also be aware that the authorities have been called, and an official investigation has been activated."

"Thank you," Hotch nodded. "We appreciate that." The doctor nodded her head before clicking away in her heels. Hotch and Morgan were left alone with Reid after that, all of them silently wishing that they too could fall to sleep.

**~* CP *~**

**Things are pretty bad over here. I've been just waaay to busy to do anything. *Sigh.* Can't wait for next Wednesday! EEP! Thnx for reading everyone; hoped you liked it :) **


	2. Arrangements

**Just a note, this takes place when JJ was still around, so let's say early season 5.…The time doesn't really matter, though, because I won't be talking about cases and events that happened on the show that much. I see some of you got confused and/or started guessing on who the bride is! I'm glad you guys are curious! Thnx for reading everyone; hope you liked this too! Medical and legal facts have and always will be googled. ;) **

**Child's Play- Chapter 2**

**Arrangements**

When Spencer Reid woke up, he was laying in a hospital bed with a clean pair of clothes. They were dry now, and so was his hair. He frowned, wondering if Morgan had been the one to change him and silently hoping it was in fact him. His eyes wandered around the room, and he smiled when he saw Morgan fast asleep on a chair with Hotch and Prentiss both passed out on a couch opposite of him. When he looked to the other side, he saw a smaller bed- no, a crib- and he immediately jumped up from the bed to reach it. He knew it had to be Henry, and he desperately wanted to see him. The last time he had seen the infant he was cuddled in a corner shivering and screaming. Now, he was resting and considerably warm, or so he hoped anyways.

Reid debated about whether or not to pick the baby up; he seemed at ease where he was, but he hadn't been held since…since JJ died. His decision was made for him, though, when Henry suddenly decided to wake up and start crying. He quickly picked Henry up with shaky hands and jogged out of the room, regretting the action as soon as his leg started hurting again. He had reinjured it during the shooting on the ice; he had been forced down into the icy water, and when he had tried pulling himself out, he hit his leg hard on the ice. It was still unclear to him how he had gotten from the lake to the cabin…

"Sir, are you okay?" a nurse asked.

Reid turned around with a frown, but he quickly recovered and nodded his head. "He… he hasn't ate in a while, I think…." he mumbled.

The nurse walked up to the two of them, and she reached for the child in his hands. He pulled back, though, causing the nurse to frown as well. "Sir, you're hands are shaking." She paused, waiting for a response, but she quickly realized she wasn't going to receive one. Recognition seemed to seep in, and she then smiled sympathetically at him. "I'm sorry for your loss….all of them, I suppose. Come on, let's go get Henry something to eat."

"Yeah, thanks," Reid nodded. He then let the nurse led him the ICU, where other babies were being fed and taken care of by multiple nurses. She motioned for him to sit down and passed Henry back to him. The boy smiled up at him, immediately grabbing hold of a long piece of curly hair and springing it up and down in amusement. He smiled, though tears ran down his eyes. He was glad to know that Henry was okay, but he had just lost three near and dear friends. That would take a while for anyone to get over.

"Here you are, Dr. Reid. Just tell me if there's anything that we can help with," she smiled pleasantly. She placed the bottle in Reid's hand before leaving him alone in the room with Henry. Immediately, he started feeding Henry, a smile playing at his lips as the baby happily sucked on the bottle. A few seconds later, he heard someone clearing their throat in the doorway. He whipped his head around to see Morgan pleasantly smiling back. He took that as in invitation to enter, and he immediately bent down to kiss his boyfriend.

"It's good to see you awake," he smiled. "You were pretty freaked out last night." Morgan then took the chair next to him and watched as Reid adjusted the baby in his arms.

"I'm still freaked out, and I probably will be for a while," Reid sighed. "I'm…I have to take care of Henry now…by myself."

"You won't be alone, Spencer, you'll have me and the rest of the team," Morgan reassured. Spencer nodded, his gaze still fixed on Henry. His eyes kept closing, though, and he was slowly dropping the bottle from his hand. "Spencer, you're upsetting him," Morgan chuckled. Spencer's eyes popped opened, and he immediately dropped his eyes to look straight at Henry. The baby was frowning at him, as his bottle wasn't anywhere near his mouth now.

"Sorry Henry," he sighed, "I guess I'm still…still a little out of it." He moved the bottle back into Henry's mouth with a sigh, but he frowned when Morgan reached over and took him from his shaky hands. "What- why did you take him?" Reid frowned, obviously hurt and offended. Keeping Henry with him was the only thing keeping him sane, keeping him from breaking down into tears.

"You need to sleep some more. I highly doubt that you've slept enough, and it's obvious that you're still in shock. Just sleep, okay? Henry isn't going anywhere, I'll promise you that." Morgan could tell, though, by the determined look in his glazed-over eyes that he was going to be stubborn as hell.

"No, please….I want Henry back," Reid whimpered. It wasn't the strong and 'no questions asked' response he wanted to give Morgan, but it got the job done. Morgan, knowing now that he was going to whine and moan without him, reluctantly gave Henry back. The kid seemed happier with Reid, anyways. "Thank you," Reid sighed in relief. "It's just….after everything….it feels so unreal. Henry makes it better somehow, I guess," he mumbled as he placed the bottle back in Henry's mouth.

Suddenly, Morgan's phone started vibrating, and he quickly excused himself from the room.

"Morgan?"

"Yeah, this is Morgan…who is this?" he frowned.

"It's Kevin. I've been trying to call Penelope for a while, and everyone in the office says your team hasn't come in the office yet. You guys on a case?" Kevin Lynch asked nervously.

'Oh, damn,' Morgan thought. Apparently no one had told Kevin, leaving him the less than desirable job on his shoulders. He himself hadn't quite processed what had happened; how was he supposed to tell Kevin?

"You there?" Kevin's voice caught off Morgan's train of thought, but he still wasn't ready to answer. "What's going on?" he asked instead, suddenly alert. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah, something' happened, Kevin," Morgan sighed.

"Is Penelope okay?"

Morgan paused, a small trail of tears falling from his eyes, as he covered his mouth to break off his choking sound. "Penelope's….Penelope's dead." Then, Morgan rehashed everything that he had been told about the last 24 hours.

***~ CP *~**

**I know it's a filler and there probably are a lot of errors, but it's all I can give you guys right now. ;( It's been less than pleasant writing lately, but I wanted to give your guys something. Up next, a very bad person- er people really- comes and makes getting over the deaths ten times harder. Thnx for reading; I hope you liked!**


	3. Unplanned Parenthood

**So writing isn't working out too well right now, and I am thinking about starting my Foyet/Reid multi-chap while I try to write this too so this story doesn't suffer. I think I have some more things to think about with this one.**

**Child's Play- Chapter 3**

**Un-Planned Parenthood**

"_Spence, come on! It's not that hard, and besides, you have three other people here that can help you." JJ rolled her eyes as the younger man's brown eyes lit with uncertainty. He, of course, had refused to go ice skating with them, claiming that it was 'bad for his knee'. Although it might have been true, she was positive that Reid had done things that were worse-off than ice skating. Besides, she only wanted him to come out for a few minutes, and she had promised him that none of them would let him fall._

"_Do it for you godchild, 'Spesser'," Garcia cooed. Reid had to smile at that; Henry had never been able to pronounce his name right. "Aw, see now, I know you want to," she challenged in her sing-song voice. She spun around on the ice, Henry in her arms, as Will mumbled something like 'show off'. JJ only smirked at the exchange._

_Reluctantly, Reid placed his right foot on the ice, sighing. "Fine, but if I permanently damage my leg and am never able to play with my godson again, I blame you," he muttered._

"_There's a good sport," Will smiled. "Now I don't have to be the only male forced to ice skate." JJ and Garcia then took it upon themselves to hit their blades against the ice and fling the loosened bits up at Will. "They're very persuasive," he shrugged. Reid smiled as he headed out on the ice, suddenly a bit more optimistic. 'Ready….one, two…' _

_The sounds of two bullets piercing through the air halted those thoughts, and in just a few seconds Spencer Reid's world came crashing down on top of him. _

"Sir, sir…?"

Spencer Reid jumped awake from his sleep. Looking around him, he realized that he was still in the nursery with Henry. 'Henry….Henry!' Reid looked down at his arms, and Henry wasn't there. He looked up with sad eyes, and the blond-haired nurse smiled sympathetically. "Another nurse said that a man had fallen asleep in here with a baby in his arms. I figured it had something to do with that cop killing-"

"JJ was an FBI agent, so was Garcia," Reid corrected calmly. "Will…. Will was an ex-cop. He quit his job for his son."

"The baby in your arms," she nodded, now understanding.

"Where is he- Henry?" Reid asked, feeling panicked again.

"He's fine; last time I checked he was with the man you were with earlier. He's still outside, on the phone, if you'd liked…"

"I want Henry back," Reid practically begged. "Please."

The nurse looked back down at Reid with a frown. It was obvious that the man was still in shock, but she knew he needed as much comfort and reassurance as possible. Right now, giving him Henry was the only way to do that. "Right, of course," she nodded, fighting of a strain of tears. Reid smiled back sadly, mumbling a thank you before she left again. A few minutes later, both Morgan and Henry came back in. "Sir, we're going to move you and Henry into a spare room. There's a considerably low amount of patients today, and we're going to be bringing a few people to this room in a few hours. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course. Uh, sorry…" Reid sighed shakily. Morgan helped him stand up, seeing how wobbly he was, and helped him walk out of the room. They didn't get too far, though, because Reid started whimpering before they even got to the door. "Henry…" he croaked. Morgan's heart ached as he saw him stare at the baby longingly, and, unable to deny him any longer, he gently placed him in his godfather's arms. Seemingly satisfied, he started walking tentatively. Throwing his arms around his waist, Morgan let Reid use him as a crutch as they started their journey to the vacant room. Half-way to their destination, though, they were stopped by someone shouting, "Henry!" Both Morgan and Reid turned around, eyes wide as recognition set in. The older couple approached them, and Reid immediately gave up Henry. He didn't want to, but they deserved to hold their grandson, too.

"We heard about what happened," the older man sighed. "It's just….just horrible." Mrs. Jareau remained silent, though, as she held her daughter's child close to her. His eyes glanced over to his wife before focusing on Reid. "You were there, weren't you?"

Reid shut his eyes tightly, tears already starting to roll down again. "Yeah, I was…I was there," he choked. Morgan supportively laid a hand on Reid's shoulder, unsure if Reid wanted to be 'outed' quite yet to them. Reid was too focused on trying not to cry to even notice, though. "I….I tried to save them, but…but Henry…"

"We know, Spencer. JJ would've wanted you to save him; you did the right thing," James Jareau sighed. Then, he turned to Morgan, a sad expression clearly laid-out on his face. "Make sure he sleeps and eats something, and I'd advise you to do the same thing. He looks dead on his feet, as do you," he warned softly. "We have to do….the official business, I suppose. We'll see you both later." James motioned for his wife to leave, but she stopped to give Henry back.

Then, as they walked away, Morgan heard something he was almost positive he wasn't supposed to hear, and he only hoped that Reid hadn't heard it too.

~* CP *~

Within seconds of laying down on the bed, Reid fell back to sleep. He had been dead on his feet all day, and it was obvious that no one had fully processed what had happened, not even Morgan himself. Reid had given Henry to Morgan only under the promise that he'd be able to see him when he woke up. He never answered, though, because the kid had practically passed out from exhaustion and shock by then.

He took Henry into his arms, and for the first time, it seemed, he actually looked at him. His eyes resembled Reid's in the sense that they were large and brown and innocent, and as he stared up at him the curiosity, he could see why- or how, really- the kid had bonded with him so quickly. The boy's face twisted in confusion, and Morgan only sighed. "Don't worry, you're in good hands," he whispered. He then sat down with him and stared off at his boyfriend as he slept peacefully- or so he hoped so, anyways.

A few hours later, the rest of the team had migrated to the spare room. Henry was thrilled to have so much attention, but at the same time, even the infant knew that something was wrong. None of the adults actually spoke as they passed around the baby, waiting for Reid to wake up, but soon enough Morgan lost all patience with the silence. Sighing, he gave Henry to Prentiss and bit his lip. When his head turned to Hotch, the older man nodded and motioned with his head to the door. Nodding back, they left the room quietly.

Hotch shut the door gently behind him before turning his full attention to an on-edge-looking Morgan. "What's wrong?" he frowned.

"JJ's mom didn't say a word when she got to the hospital, and her husband was too calm. They both were, actually," Morgan sighed. "She just kept playing with Henry while he told me to make sure Reid slept and ate." Morgan looked up at Hotch, concern evident on his face. "And….and before Jane left, she gave Henry back to Spencer….and she said something."

"What did she say?" Hotch pressed on, now in full-alert mode. He had a feeling he knew what was coming next, though, but he hoped that he was wrong- if not for Henry's sake, then for Reid's.

"She said that she mine as well let him see Henry now, because soon enough he'd be gone." Morgan watched Hotch's expression turn grim, shaking his head all the while. "Hotch, is she…is she trying to take custody of Henry?"

Hotch didn't get a chance to respond, though, and when Morgan turned around, he understood why.

"W-what?" Spencer stuttered, his heart breaking. Prentiss and Rossi ran out behind him, both shock and hurt flickering through their eyes. Prentiss passed Henry over to Reid, and Morgan slowly approached him.

'Damn it,' he thought, 'what _is _going on?'

**~* CP *~**

**Uh-ohs. Poor 'Spessey'! Sorry it's so short and it's been taking so long to update, but I'm doing the best I can. Thnx for reading ;) Also, I don't know what her parents actual names are, so I went with the 'J-Pattern'. **


	4. Battle Scars

**I have more ideas to play with this one, but I have no clue how long this fic will be. I've been writing shorter multi-chaps because of my lack of time, so I hope the fic doesn't suffer from it. I hope this will be a bit longer than it has been lately, though, and you'll see why in a chapter or 3.…or 5.….**

**Child's Play- Chapter 4**

**Battle Scars**

_"W-what?" Spencer stuttered, his heart breaking. Prentiss and Rossi ran out behind him, both shock and hurt flickering through their eyes. Prentiss passed Henry over to Reid, and Morgan slowly approached him._

_'Damn it,' he thought, 'what is going on?'_

"Reid- _Spencer_- I won't let them do it, okay? They won't taken Henry away from you. Just…just don't worry about. You need to get better first," Morgan practically begged. He wrapped his hands around Reid and pushed him back into the hospital room. The shaking man didn't say a words as he was placed back on his bed. Morgan tried to take Henry away again, but he only whined and cuddled him closer. 'When are they going to understand that I want him _with me?' _Reid thought. Morgan, seeming to get the message, backed away to close the door. The team remained outside, worried expressions strategically placed on their faces. Inside the room, Morgan hugged Reid as his too-thin body shook from nerves and emotional turmoil.

"Come on kid, it'll be okay. We'll get through this…" Morgan coaxed.

"How could you say that?" Reid squealed. "After all that has just happened, how could you possibly know how things are going to turn out?" His lips quivered as he talked, and Henry seemed to sense his tension. He frowned down at the child, his tears dripping down and onto Henry's blue blanket. Reid promptly wiped them away, frustrated, and turned his cheek into Morgan's chest. "How do you know?" he asked hopelessly, his voice weak and cracked.

"You're the strongest person I know, Spencer. This…this is devastating, yeah, but…but I know we'll get through this," he whispered back, his lips sliding down to Reid's cheeks. "We always do."

For a few precious moments, Reid and Morgan remained silent, letting Henry be the center of their attention for now. Reid cuddled himself and Henry closer to Morgan's chest, sighing deeply as his eyes threatened to shut tightly.

"Morgan…?" he asked, his voice no higher than a whisper.

"What is it, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked just as quietly.

"JJ…Garcia…they…they're all dead," he said breathlessly. His tears slid down without a sound, and Morgan wordlessly wiped them away.

"Yeah, they are."

~* CP *~

The remaining BAU agents went home for the night, each one of them both mentally and physically fatigued. They said their goodbyes and mumbled supportive words as they made their way to their rightful vehicles. Soon enough, they were on their way back home, leaving Morgan and Reid behind with Henry.

Emily Prentiss threw down her purse and coat as she entered her apartment. Unzipping her skirt as she made her way to the bathroom, she quickly stripped to take a much slower hot shower. Savoring the warmth of the water, she finally allowed her hands to gracefully slide the 'off' knob and blow dry her hair. Within minutes, she was in her pajamas with a bowl of ice cream balancing on her fluffy bed as the TV screen blared back at her in brilliant HD colors. Any other night, she would have called JJ or Garcia- hell, both of them even- to have a sleep over and stay up all night to just talk and eat junk food. Not tonight though, and not tomorrow night, either. Those days were gone.

And as she turned the TV sound up and threw herself on her bed, she cried herself into a restless sleep.

~ * CP *~

David Rossi hadn't known either JJ or Garcia that well- not compared to the rest of the team, anyways. He knew enough about them to call them friends, though, and when friends died, generally you were supposed to feel sad. Three of his friends had just died, and two- a boy and a baby- had came too close for comfort to dying. Not knowing what else to do, Rossi traveled into his kitchen and sought refuge in a bottle of whiskey. He plopped down on his couch and opened up his laptop where he then Googled the average cost of a funeral service. He was positive he had enough to pay for it all by himself, but it had been his experience that grieving parents didn't appreciate the extra steps like that. He could help, though- give enough to be called generous, but not so much to feel obliged to making a speech about it at the funeral or invite him over every once in a while. Once he got his rough estimate, rounding up, he wrote out a check and placed it safely into an envelope. Sighing, he shut the laptop and made his way to the bedroom.

Then, before falling to sleep, Rossi quickly corrected himself.

'He's a man, not a boy.'

~* CP *~

Aaron Hotchner smiled sadly, tiredly, as Jack jumped out from his bed.

"Daddy!" he shouted enthusiastically. The boy frowned, though, when he caught on to his daddy's bad mood, he immediately pulled his arms out as wide as he could and gave him a big hug. "It's okay Daddy, you'll catch the bad guy- Daddy always catches the bad guy!"

"I know, buddy, I know," he whispered. "Why don't you…why don't you get ready for a movie, huh? Just you and me and your favorite movie…?"

"Really?" Jack smiled, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Yeah, really," Hotch nodded. "Go ahead and pick out a movie. I have to make a phone call really quick, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Jack shouted as he ran down the hallway.

Once Jack was out of sight, Hotch pulled out his cell phone and pressed speed dial number 3. He waited for three rings before the voice on the other end replied. "Hey Aaron, what's up?" Sean greeted.

"Sean…." Hotch whispered, suddenly not remembering why he had phoned his brother in the first place. He could hear the sound of knives hitting a kitchen counter and feet moving swiftly across a tiled floor. Within seconds, a door slammed shut, and Hotch knew he had his undivided attention.

"Aaron's what going on?"

"I think…" Hotch started, but his voice cracked as three tears escaped from his 'blinkless' eyes. "I think I really screwed up this time…."

~* CP *~

Section Chief Erin Strauss had heard the news just mere hours earlier. Two of her best agents were dead, and one of them had just narrowly escaped death. The emotional toll that the young agent must be currently feeling, she had thought, must be the worst form of torture he's ever been through. And believe it or not, she did have some clue as to all that young Dr. Reid had suffered through.

Turning off her office light, she threw down her briefcase. 'Screw it all to hell,' she thought with a sigh, 'paperwork will still be paperwork tomorrow.' Then, without missing a beat, she slammed the BAU doors closed behind her.

~* CP *~

Reid hadn't stopped crying since he overheard Morgan's concerns. He wouldn't let them take Henry away from him. JJ wanted him to have Henry! How could they be allowed to even consider taking him? Henry was his godson!

"Reid, man, don't worry about it," Morgan sighed. His eyes wandered down to Henry, who looked up at his godfather with sad and hurt eyes. "Henry knows you're upset, kid. Calm down, if only for him."

Reid's eyes automatically slid down to Henry, and he suddenly felt the need to take off with the child right then and there. He wouldn't, though, because he knew the consequences of his actions would far outweigh the positive affects. Sniffling, he passed Henry, who had been his lifeline for the past two days, to Morgan. "I…I have to sleep," he said, nodding his head. "Henry needs to be fed. Could you-"

"I'll take care of him, Pretty Boy," Morgan nodded softly. "Just rest, okay?"

"Yeah," Reid mumbled. Then, he rearranged his pillows and threw the blankets over his thin body. He didn't even notice when Morgan slipped out of the room. In seconds, he was sleeping.

**~* CP *~**

**Whelp, there it is! I know things have been slow, but fret not. Things will be picking up very quickly. I've been posting a lot of sneak peeks on FaceBook, but how many of you would be more likely to follow me on Twitter than on FB?….Thnx for reading everyone!**


	5. Going Home

**Thnx for reading everyone; I love every single one of you. ;) All facts Googled, so pleaz be nice!**

**Child's Play- Chapter 5**

**Going Home **

"Dr. Reid, I advise you hire a lawyer," the judge sighed. "It seems that they are fighting you for custody despite Mrs. Jennifer Jareau's wishes. As of now, they have not found any loop holes or legal clauses around it, but knowing the lawyer they have hired, they will find something to use against you."

Spencer Reid, holding Henry tight to his chest, stared down at the ground as the judge delivered the bad news. He hadn't even been released from the hospital two days and he still had to deal with this crap. Prentiss and Rossi had tagged along for support, and Spencer was suddenly glad that they had. Despite his eidetic memory, he was too out of it, as Garcia would have said, and he would need them to tell him what had exactly was going on when Aaron Hotchner and his son Jack showed up at his apartment less than two hours later.

"He's your lawyer, Reid," Rossi supplied. "The judge said he thought it was a good idea. You're familiar with Hotch, and he already knows the situation, so it would be easier for you to hire him, if just for emotional reasons. And besides, with his divorce and his son, he'd have a better chance of winning over whatever judge was sentenced to your case." Reid just stared down at Henry, trying his best to keep his emotions under control, something he'd found himself doing a lot lately. "We're going to make sure Henry stays with you no matter what, okay?"

"I'm a good lawyer, Reid, and I want Henry to stay with you- we all do. I'm going to fight for him, and that's a promise," Aaron added from the kitchen. He had started making grilled cheese and soup for Jack and Henry, the latter of which was just now old enough to at least eat the soup and some of the sandwich.

"When will Morgan be back?" Reid asked.

"He went out to get some groceries," Prentiss started, "so he should be here in a couple minutes." Nodding, Reid sighed and stood up from his seat on the couch. "Need something?" Prentiss asked.

"Uh, yeah…could you take Henry for a minute? I have to use the bathroom," Reid asked shyly.

"Of course, Reid," Prentiss smiled. Relieved, Reid passed Henry to Prentiss and made his way to the bathroom. Of course, Prentiss was nervous holding Henry; she had only held two other babies, both of which she only had for a few minutes each. She knew that Reid would never forgive her if she did something stupid like drop him…

"Relax, Prentiss, you're going fine," Rossi smirked.

"Oh, right," Prentiss laughed nervously. She watched as Henry looked up at her with his large innocent eyes, and she suddenly understood why Morgan had once compared them to Reid's own eyes. The small child looked both curious and amazed as it stared at her, and Prentiss frowned as she realized she was holding JJ's son.

'JJ's gone…Will's gone….Penelope's…..dead.'

"Thanks, Prentiss," Spencer said as he reentered the room. Prentiss nodded with a smile as she passed Henry back to Spencer, and he immediately started playing with Spencer's bouncy curls. All three adults smiled as Henry did so, relishing in the small moment as much as they possibly could.

"I come bearing food!" Morgan shouted as he opened the apartment door. Seeing Spencer walking toward him, he placed down the groceries and opened his arms for his boyfriend. Hugging both him and Henry, he softly said, "I missed you, both of you."

"Yeah, well, I missed you too," Spencer whispered back. Placing Morgan's hands around his waist, they traveled to the couch where Spencer closed his eyes momentarily.

Suddenly, a somewhat important thought jumped to Morgan's mind, and as it did, he cleared he throat and said in a loud voice, "Hey Hotch, should we, uhm, stop what we're doing?"

In the kitchen, Hotch raised his eyebrows before realization dawned on him. "Uh, no; as long as you two aren't…" he paused, looking down at Jack. 'Screw it,' Hotch thought and walked out of the room. "Just don't kiss or… or make out in front of him, okay?" he sighed.

"Yeah," Morgan laughed, amused. "I think we can do that."

"Thanks," Hotch shouted back as he made his way back to the kitchen.

Morgan smirked as he cuddled Spencer closer to him, smiling as Henry made a sleepy noise. Patting Morgan's lap, Spencer motioned for Morgan to leave so he could put Henry to bed. "Hurry back!" Morgan called at him.

"It might take me a minute; Henry's been a little stubborn about going to bed," Spencer replied. It wasn't a straight-out lie, but it wasn't the complete truth, either. Ignoring the sly 'yeah, just like you' comment from Morgan, Reid entered his study-turned-nursery and placed Henry in the crib that Prentiss and Rossi had brought over from JJ's house. They had also brought over a few bottles, blankets, diapers, and some of Henry's 'favorite toys', as Garcia had always called them. Spencer slightly smiled at the memory of Garcia showing their godson the toys they had bought them; she had even bought a small toy chest to place them in and had deemed it Henry's 'special box'. Said box was now in the corner of his room with legal papers strewn out all around it.

"Spessey!" Henry cried, obviously ready for his nap.

"I know, Henry," Spencer sighed. "Just give me a minute to find your night-time blanket, okay?" So he could search more places, he placed the infant in his crib and started digging on the floor. 'Bottle, diapers, toy giraffe, elephant stuffed animal, more legal papers….Where the hell is that blankey?' Spencer screamed in his head. Groaning in frustration, he tried pushing himself onto his knees, immediately regretting it. Eyes widened as he doubled over in pain. He started gasping as he grabbed his knee, cursing himself for forgetting about the stitches on his knees caused by the incident with the icy lake. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, but just as he was about to close them, a soft-looking blue cloth caught his attention. Using his hands to drag himself, he crawled until he reached the blanket. Sighing in relief, he grabbed it and pulled it closer to him. He turned on his stomach so he could throw the blanket up at Henry, but instead he found himself rolling into a ball and throwing his arms carelessly around himself.

'They died right in front of me; I should be dead! They should be alive…..' His mind screamed the phrase

over and over at him as he hugged Henry's blanket, trying to find comfort in the small, silky square.

"Spencer!" Morgan called from the doorway. He slid down to his lover, scooping him up with concern. "What happened?" he asked, alarmed. He didn't need an answer, though, by the way Spencer's hand kept flying to his knee. "Alright, let's get you to the couch, okay?" Morgan helped Spencer stand up, letting him lean heavily against him. Just as he started walking out the door, Spencer weakly said, "Wait." Morgan immediately stopped, frowning. "He…He needs his blanket," Spencer explained. Morgan nodded and allowed Spencer to carefully limp over to the crib. He laid the blanket over the already sleeping infant, nodding his head when it was safely placed on top of him. "Alright, let's go now," Spencer sighed. Morgan clasped his hands around Spencer's hips and led him toward the couch, but when they reached the room, both of them were shocked still into silence.

"Dr. Reid," Mrs. Jaraeu started, "I want my grandson back."

**~* CP *~**

**And so the war begins! Chances are I'll be taking a tiny break from this one so I can focus on some other things, and I'll start getting some things I've already written posted. Thnx for reading; I hope you guys give me some patience! **


	6. Taking Action

**Sorry for the sporadic updates. Life's been awfully sporadic itself lately…. It doesn't help that inspiration for the story comes and goes….Oh, and I'm not sure how old Henry is in this time frame, so I'm just going to assume he's old enough to have super soft foods but still take formula. Pleaz let me know if that doesn't make sense, as Googe was very misleading…**

**Child's Play- Chapter 6**

**Taking Action **

"Dr. Reid," Mrs. Jaraeu started, "I want my grandson back."

Morgan was suddenly glad that he had in fact been standing behind Spencer, because as soon as those words escaped her lips, Spencer lost all will to stand for himself. Moments later Hotch and Jack entered the room with the food, their smiles dissipating as they too understood what she had just said.

"Daddy," Jack whispered, the way all toddlers thought were whispering but everyone could still hear them, "why does she want Henry back? Henry is Weed's!"

"No, Jack," Jane scoffed at the toddler. "Henry is ours," she said, pointing toward herself and her husband. "And if Dr. Reid is as smart as everyone thinks he is, he will give up custody before lawyers get involved."

"Daddy was a lawyer!" Jack exclaimed, obviously exited that his father might be able to help.

"You can't take Henry away," Morgan glared. "Your daughter appointed him Henry's godfather, and it says so in her will."

"Agent Morgan, please stay out of this-" she sighed dramatically.

"We're Henry's family; this _is _our business," Rossi cut in.

"You out of all people should know how close the BAU is to each other," Prentiss nodded. "If you knew anything about your daughter, you would know that."

"I don't appreciate any of you undermining my authority-" But she was cut off again.

"I am Dr. Reid's lawyer," Hotch said, keeping his voice free of the emotion he felt. "If you have anything to say to my client that might disrupt his healing process, you need to talk to me first. In case you've forgotten, Dr. Reid also had to undergo the emotional trauma of losing JJ, but he was actually at the scene and was injured. And to be frank, Henry is more familiar with Dr. Reid than he is either of you, and he was also there with Henry when she was killed. Henry needs a familiar face right now, and Dr. Reid can provide that."

Jane clicked her lips together, dancing on her heels. By now she was fuming, but her husband seemed to be just as disgusted with Jane's request as they were. "Fine, but I will be back, and I'm bringing my own lawyer along." She threw her purse over her shoulder and placed her hand on her husband's arm. "I will see you all later; good night." Then, she dramatically swooshed around and slammed the door behind her.

"Way to cause a scene, that little…" Prentiss mumbled, her eyes catching Jack. 'Right, g-rated.'

"Reid, don't worry," Hotch reassured. "She has no legal case, and if JJ's will does state you and Garcia as guardians, you should be fine." Then, he placed a bowl with grilled cheese and soup in Reid's hand, earning a confused expression from the dazed agent. "You're as skinny as a rail; Jack's worried about it." Morgan and Spencer couldn't help but smile at that, but their smiles diminished as Henry started crying. Spencer bit his lips, eyes wandering from the food to down the hallway at Henry's room.

"Let me take him this time," Morgan said softly. Patting his boyfriend's shoulders, he made his way down the hallway as Spencer reluctantly sat down to eat. A strangled sound escaped his lips as he plopped down, though, and he immediately regretted it. His leg was killing him from falling in Henry's 'room', and the added assault to it by putting it through the stress of collapsing onto the couch too quickly didn't help any. Noticing Spencer grimace, Hotch took the plate from his hands and told him to prop up his leg. Wordlessly, Spencer obliged.

"After you're done eating, I'd suggest you take a quick nap. The rest of us will be leaving in a few hours, but we'll come back later," Hotch said.

"Right, thank you," Spencer nodded.

"It's no problem, Reid. We all….we all regret what's happened this week," he sighed. Hotch then gave Reid his plate back and patted his son on the back of the head. "We're going to get going; Jack has a soccer game in a few hours."

"Good luck," Spencer smiled, earning a smile back from Jack.

"Thanks!"

Then, with one final 'good bye', the Hotchs' left.

~* CP *~

Prentiss wandered toward the back of the apartment, sliding into the first room on the left and closing it quietly behind her. She watched as Morgan fed the infant in his arms, frowning down at the child as he suckled on his food.

"Hey," Prentiss said softly, making sure her presence was known. Morgan turned around, causing Henry much discomfort. Then, with two fingers, he motioned for her to come toward him. Prentiss nodded and did as she was asked. "Come on, Miss Prentiss, Henry wants you to feed me," he smirked. Prentiss nervously held her hands out before quickly pulling them back. "Oh come on," Morgan sighed dramatically. "It's a kid, not an UnSub." The black-haired woman remained still, though, and she placed her hands down to her sides again. "Prentiss," Morgan tsked, his eyes staring at her accusingly, "Henry needs a woman in his life-"

Before he could finish, though, Prentiss had snatched the boy from his hands and was seated in the chair opposite of the crib. "The funeral's tomorrow," she sighed, staring down at Henry. The baby's eyes starting wavering from opened to close, blinking slowly back and forth, before he finally let them stay closed. Within seconds, he was asleep.

"Just like Spencer," Morgan chucked, "the way he falls to sleep."

"Yeah," Prentiss nodded, trying her best to smile. The light-hearted mood changed, though, when the grim truth crept back into the front of her mind. Sensing her frustration, Morgan sat down opposite of her, waiting for her to open up. "Tomorrow's the funeral," she eventually said. "I've known that for a while now, but…but it's different, you know?" she sighed.

Morgan lowered his head, the exhaustions of the day finally taking their toll on him. "Yeah," he replied. "I know."

**~* CP *~**

**Sorry it took too long; I try my best, really. Things are really going to be picking up pace starting next chapter, where we somewhat see what the very first paragraph of this story was all about….Thnx for sticking in there!**


	7. The Funeral

**Things finally get interesting here. And all about the first paragraph of the story comes up next! And yes, there will be a whole lot more on the shooting later on. All will-related things Googled or made up. Pleaz be nice if they're inaccurate! Also, my computer contracted a FaceBook virus, so patience is much appreciated ;) **

**Child's Play- Chapter 7**  
**The Funeral**

Spencer Reid held Henry in his arms as his sad eyes scanned all around the funeral house. There were so many people, but he only knew a handful of their names at best. He had lost count of how many times he had been told that he would be a 'great father' to Henry and how 'sorry for his loss' people were. The words were shallow and meaningless, though, and it didn't take social skills to figure that much out.

"Hey Reid, how are you holding up?" Morgan asked, supportively rubbing his boyfriend's shoulder.

"It's a funeral," Spencer responded carefully, biting his lips. "I suppose it's…it's beautiful." His words were true enough. All around them were flowers and white patterns, extravagant details and frilly tablecloths. Above them was an out of place looking gold chandelier whose lights were just barely strong enough to light up the large room. Outside snow soundlessly fell and worked to further darken the room. "It's all too pretty, though. JJ-" his voice cracked mid-sentence, and he paused to work up his courage to continue. "JJ wouldn't have appreciated it, and neither would have Will. She would've said it was a waste of money…. waste of time…."

"Reid," Prentiss called from the doorway, "they're about ready to start the service." Her eyes scanned down at Henry, his face just as long as the adults in the room. She decided to keep the comment to herself, though, as Reid would have enough to deal with the next few days.

"Yeah, of course," he nodded. He stood to his feet, and Morgan quickly followed suit. Patting the younger man's shoulder, they walked out with Prentiss guiding the way.

~* CP *~

Spencer Reid pressed back tears as he watched the pastor lead off the night. He leaned heavily against the people standing behind him- Hotch to his right and Morgan to his left. Together, the two men helped the younger man stand up straight and support JJ's son. Stroking the baby's head, he watched as the people who were present at the affair gathered around the two opened caskets. He felt as Morgan placed his hand on his shoulder, guiding him toward the stage.

"No, please," Spencer whispered. "I-I don't want my last memory of Will and…and JJ to be of them dead in a wooden box." Spencer had many great memories of JJ- of playing with Henry in their house; laughing and smiling after cases when the rest of the team danced in the bar; trying to make sense of the cases they worked; being friends…being family. That was how he was going to remember JJ. His memory wouldn't allow him to forget the images of her and her husband motionless and doll-like. The best way to prevent that from happening was to avoid seeing it in the first place.

"Of course," Morgan nodded, honoring Spencer's wishes. "I'll be back in a minute, alright?"

"I'll be fine," Spencer smiled sadly. "I'm sorry I can't…I can't come with you, but I just-"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Morgan said gently. "I get it- I understand." Without another word, Morgan went up on the stage with Hotch following behind him.

Not even a minute after Morgan left, another hand reached out to him. Turning around, he realized it was Prentiss. "Hey Reid, how're you holding up?"

"I'm doing-" He was cut off, though, and before he knew it Jane and John Jareau were standing across from himself and Prentiss with a peculiar-looking envelope in their hands.

"I regret to inform you this under the current circumstances, but it seems only fair that I give you this now considering it's already too late…." Jane sighed. "I wish I could have given you this sooner, but my lawyer just found it." Jane passed the envelope to Reid who immediately opened it, eyes widening as they scanned over them. "I suppose that Henry is ours, after all," she added too happily.

"No…." Spencer whispered, his shaking hands making the papers waver in the air. Frowning, Prentiss took them from Spencer and started reading it herself.

…_because of the illegitimate and non-official signatures of both Jennifer Jareau and Will LaMontange, the eligibility of Penelope Garcia and Spencer Reid as the godparents of Henry Jareau-LaMontange is only allowed in the case that both participants are physically and mentally able to take care of the infant together or otherwise not at all. Unless both godparents sign the will, this section is to remain an active part of the will and testament of Jennifer- _

"Why wouldn't JJ mention this-?" Prentiss started, but she stopped when Spencer starting shaking his head.

"She did, actually," Spencer sighed. "That was part of the reason why we went to the cabin with JJ and Will. We were going to sign it after…. after we were done skating."

"Is there anyway around this?" Prentiss asked, exasperated.

"There is one," John nodded.

"Well, how?" Prentiss frowned.

"You have to get married…by 8 pm tomorrow," Jane replied.

"Oh god," Spencer moaned, his legs feeling like jelly. Seeing his uneasiness, Prentiss escorted him to a near-by seat. She bit her lip as he brought Henry up to his chest. The baby had been the only thing keeping Spencer grounded after he had seen his three friends shot to death. Throwing an arm around her slim friend, her eyes wandered from the baby to Spencer's own eyes.

Suddenly, a thought came to mind, and she realized what she had to do.

"I think this is a good time to tell them the truth," she whispered, wrapping her hands around Spencer's. At first the younger agent seemed confused, but then realization hit. Sighing, he nodded and allowed Prentiss to rest her hand against his chest. Jane frowned, and Prentiss could've sworn that John's eyes sparkled with some sort of unrecognizable emotion.

"What-tell us what?" Morgan asked, coming up from behind the group.

"Spencer and I," Prentiss started, standing up as she pulled Reid to his feet, "we've been dating for a year now….and we've fallen in love. In fact, Spencer, there's something that I wanted to ask you," she sighed, turning her whole attention to him. Then, she took his hand and kneeled down on one knee.

"I know that tradition dictates that a man proposes, but, well," she easily laughed, "we've never been very traditional, have we? I don't…. I don't have a ring or anything to give you, and I honestly wasn't planning on doing this so suddenly, but I love you, and I don't want Henry to grow up without you. This is what JJ would've wanted; I need to know that she can have that at the very least. I couldn't find a better time to make us official, anyways," she smiled forcefully. "So Dr. Spencer Reid-"

"Will you marry me?" Spencer asked, cutting in.

**~ *CP *~**

"**The plot thickens, Watson!" Whelp, that's all I have time for today; hope it subsides! Thnx for reading and hanging in there! Feedback is most appreciated. **


	8. Author's Final Note

**The end of Child's Play…**

I am officially done writing this story. Nymphadora-CullenBAU is taking it over, though, so though I am abandoning it, it will still be continued. I deeply apologize, but I am having a rough time over here. A link to the new story will be posted whenever Nymp gets it up. (And I thank you greatly for taking it, Nympy!)

I loved writing this story, but it's just too difficult to update now, and you guys deserve better than what I can supply. I apologize so greatly, and I HATE abandoning a story.

Thank you for your patience, and once again I apologize.

Cheers,

-T/VA


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